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Building Weapons, Talking Peace

The second hour recounts President Eisenhower's diplomatic confrontations against the Soviet Union during the early Cold War years, crises prompted by aggressive Kremlin-sponsored action around the world. It also documents his attempts to keep the peace while establishing a clear superiority for the U.S. in the nuclear arms "race." He used what scholars have called his "hidden hand" tactics to keep that superiority under wraps despite intense criticism that the U.S. was falling behind the USSR in military strength. Thanks to the use of the U-2 spy plane, "Ike" knew the weaknesses of the Soviet Union, but he kept that information secret as he pushed his policies of peaceful co-existence in a divided world.